Action off Corozal

The Action off Corozal (September 1719) was a naval duel fought off the coast of Corozal, Belize between the pirate ship Jackdaw and the Spanish Navy man o' war Nuestra Señora de la Almudena. The Nuestra Señora was anchored off Corozal with the goal of protecting it from pirate entry or exit, and Jackdaw captain Edward Kenway resolved to break through the blockade, capture the Nuestra Señora, and make Corozal a base of his for operations against shipping in the Gulf of Mexico. The Jackdaw relied on her superior speed to evade the powerful broadsides of the Nuestra Señora, and the pirates succeeded in incapacitating the much larger vessel. The pirates then boarded the ship, and they were able to force the crew to surrender after a hard-fought battle. Kenway gave command of the ship to Casey Pengelly, who made Henry Nanscawen his quartermaster, and Pengelly commanded the ship as a part of Kenway's pirate fleet.